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2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

19 Ranked Colleges
2,146 Degrees Awarded
$19,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 15,161 people earned their degree in child development and psychology, making the major the 72nd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, child development and psychology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,673 and had an average of $25,889 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 2,483 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,950 and $19,607 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,146 child development and psychology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in child development and psychology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great child development and psychology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the child development and psychology program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Child Development & Psychology Schools

The child development school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 19 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Child Development & Psychology in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 219 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

Purdue also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Purdue University - Main Campus

#2

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Michigan University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $19,433 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend WMU.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Western Michigan University

#3

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana
#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Fort Wayne. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. PFW is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 64 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

PFW also took the #14 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend PFW is $10,912 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

Full PFW Child Development & Psychology Report

#4

University of Detroit Mercy

Detroit, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Detroit Mercy. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Detroit Mercy is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Detroit Mercy, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Detroit Mercy is $18,356 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Detroit Mercy

#5

Northern Michigan University

Marquette, Michigan

Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Michigan University landed the #5 spot on the list. Marquette, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Michigan University, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Michigan University is $15,453 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at Northern Michigan University

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#5 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 293 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $13,253 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full IU Bloomington Child Development & Psychology Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 542 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Child Development & Psychology Report

#8

Eureka College

Eureka, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Eureka College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eureka College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Eureka, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Eureka College also took the #16 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $21,344 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend Eureka College.

Full Eureka College Child Development & Psychology Report

#19 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Flint landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Michigan - Flint is located in Flint, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UM Flint also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Flint is $12,734 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UM Flint

#10

Cornerstone University

Grand Rapids, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

Cornerstone University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornerstone, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $20,740 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend Cornerstone.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cornerstone Child Development & Psychology Report

#11

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Lake Forest College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students list, Lake Forest has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $26,426 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Lake Forest Child Development & Psychology Report

#12

Earlham College

Richmond, Indiana
#13 in overall quality

Earlham College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Richmond, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Earlham, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Earlham College is $21,370 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Earlham College Child Development & Psychology Report

#13

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Knox is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 24 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $22,292 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend Knox College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Knox College

#14

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 727 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U-M, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students per year to attend U-M.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Child Development & Psychology at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#15

Albion College

Albion, Michigan
#11 in overall quality

Albion College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Albion College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Albion, Michigan. It awarded 35 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Albion also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $16,653 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students per year to attend Albion.

Full Albion College Child Development & Psychology Report

#8 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $22,831 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at Illinois Tech

#17

Denison University

Granville, Ohio
#4 in overall quality

Denison University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Granville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students list, Denison has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Denison University is $28,614 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree child development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Denison Child Development & Psychology Report

#18

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $27,315 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Child Development & Psychology at UChicago

#19

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child Development Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s child development students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Child Development & Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Child Development students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Northwestern Child Development & Psychology Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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